Many service industries such as the shipping and transportation industry, for example, utilize a fleet of vehicles that must be managed to meet customer requests. Dispatchers are personnel that receive incoming customer requests and communicate with the drivers of the fleet to ensure that the customer requests are met. In completing daily activities, dispatchers often verbally communicate with the drivers of fleet by radio communication.
Efficiency and speed are a necessity for meeting customer service levels. Requiring dispatchers to verbally communicate all aspects of each customer request, as well as other dispatching requirements such as cancellations, vehicle malfunction, etc., severely constrain the dispatcher. Not only must the dispatcher verbally communicate with the drivers, but also manage incoming requests, keep track of the status of each driver, and decide which driver to assign new customer requests. In many cases, the dispatcher must review several documents or take significant notes throughout the day to keep track of all of the vehicles and customer requests. All of these activities place a significant burden on the dispatcher and may affect customer service levels.
Accordingly, improvements in the efficiency and capability of dispatch systems and methods are desired.